Apple has shared its fraud prevention analysis, demonstrating how App Store rules protect users from fake apps and other security issues. According to Apple, they prevented over $7 billion worth of fraudulent transactions between 2020 and 2023, with more than $1.8 billion stopped in 2023 alone. They also blocked over 14 million stolen credit cards and prevented over 3.3 million accounts from conducting further transactions.
In the past year, Apple rejected over 1.7 million apps from the App Store for not meeting its privacy, security, and content standards. They closed 118,000 of the 428,000 developer accounts, preventing the creation of fake accounts. Additionally, over 91,000 developer registrations were rejected due to fraud. Apple also blocked over 153 million fake user accounts and closed nearly 374 million developer and user accounts.
Apple claims to have identified and blocked 47,000 illegal apps and stopped nearly 3.8 million attempts to install or use illegally distributed apps through the Enterprise Program. The number of apps reviewed before entering the App Store was 6.9 million last year, with 192,000 developers publishing their first apps for iPhone and iPad. Apple noted an increase in illegal apps managing to hide on the App Store, prompting its team to work on preventing these apps.
Financial service apps aimed at defrauding users were also removed from the App Store. Apple emphasizes the security measures users forfeit when downloading apps from alternative app stores or websites, stressing the risks of fraud, scams, and privacy issues.
